- The witnesses include the owner of the short-stay rental apartment and two other men.
- They staged an identification parade at the Kasarani police station on a man who had been arrested as he left the airport and declared he was not the one.
Witnesses in the murder probe of a female university student at an apartment in Roysambu, Nairobi say the killer spoke in Swahili when he interacted with them.
They further say he looked young and light and seemed well-versed in the area.
The witnesses include the owner of the short-stay rental apartment and two other men.
They staged an identification parade at the Kasarani police station on a man who had been arrested as he left the airport and declared he was not the one.
The witnesses who were arrested near the crime scene apartment will remain in custody for ten days as police investigate the murder of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture Technology student Rita Waeni Muendo.
They were arraigned Wednesday as police sought custodial orders to hold them for failing to take records of the killer at the Green House Apartments as required by the law.
The details would have helped in the probe.
Waeni was killed and dismembered by an unidentified man who had rented house number B1 on the first floor of Green House Apartments.
The house had been rented by a middle-aged man who did not give his particulars at the time of booking the house.
The DCI says one of the witnesses, a man was found in house number B2, next to the one in which the woman was killed and told the police that he had visited the house and spent the night there.
According to the DCI, upon searching him, he was found with a blood-like substance on and underneath his nails.
The other man told the police that they were with him watching an Africa Cup of Nations match and had dinner together.
When the three witnesses appeared at the identification parade, they said the killer spoke in Swahili.
The owner of the apartment told police the killer talked to her in Swahili when he called to book the room.
The agent at the house too said the man spoke in Swahili when he asked for the key to the room he wanted to book.
This forced the police to release the foreigner they had initially arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on suspicion of being the killer.
The traveller was found to have stayed in South C and did not understand Swahili.
Police are now racing to trace the suspected killer who is believed to be in the country.
“As to whether he is a Kenyan, we do not know. We are looking for a killer who is out there and could harm more,” an investigator said.
The man chose to pay for the apartment in cash, which hid his traces.
Witnesses called to identify the man arrested also said the traveller was old while the one wanted looked younger and lighter.
This threw the probe back to square one with the team saying the hunt for the killer is ongoing. The team has also stumbled upon details indicating that Waeni and her killer met on the social media platform Instagram.
The information was obtained from the slain woman’s account, which was cracked by detectives investigating the January 13 murder at an apartment in the Roysambu area, Nairobi.
This came as the family of the woman identified her as a fourth-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
The family said the killer had demanded a ransom of Sh500,000 for him not to kill Waeni.
It also emerged the killer had sent a picture to the family using Rita’s mobile phone as he prepared to kill her using a hacksaw as part of an effort to push them to send the money he had demanded.
The motive of the drama is yet to be clear.
According to the family, she left her aunt's residence in Syokimau to meet with a friend.
They say at around 5 am on Sunday, her father received a message, delivered from her phone number, demanding a ransom of Sh500,000 within 24 hours for the release of the student.
“With this message, the family reported the matter to the police and DCI, and investigations began,” the statement reads.
They said an additional two messages were sent to the family demanding the ransom.
“Unfortunately, we did not get further details about the ransom or an opportunity to explore this route. Some demands were made when she had already been murdered,” the family said.
The body parts of the student, who was due to join her fourth year of university, were found inside a trash bag in the apartment by the caretaker on Sunday, January 14. Her head was, however missing.
“We believe she was lured by her killer, who also tried to extort money from her family, even after killing her,” the family added.
They described her as “an intelligent, smart girl beyond her age at the very start of her youth,” who was known for her kindness, laughter, and “ability to light up any room she entered.”